The logical vs. emotional question has been debated in smoky ad agency back rooms since back room smoking was actually allowed. So what does this have to do with marketing a solar-powered beer fridge? Well, that’s really just a fake product ad I created to illustrate a theory I discovered ...
Why don’t greener TVs lead to greener TV ads?
When I read the June 16th news that Sony’s new 32” Bravia LCD TV uses up to 30% less energy, I was thrilled with the idea of saving the planet while sitting on the couch. In one demonstration, a press release stated, a watt-counter attached to the new 32-inch Bravia showed ...
Think the world is ending? Get a Unicycle.
What is the best post-apocalyptic ride to park in your bunker? Wired Magazine sought some answers to this increasingly important question in a recent on-line issue. Turns out at least one reader had enough savvy to nominate the most sustainable ride on the planet to this top-10 list, a selection ...
Green goes First-Class
On my return Amtrak trip from Sustainable Brands 08 in Monterey, I elected to sample life in the sleeper car, with my own little booth and bed: car 1432, room 11. This was a significant up-charge, ($257) although that price includes all meals (worth about $50) and if traveling with ...
The Sustainable Hot-Rod
Walking through the idyllic seaside burg of Capitola, California, my green sensibilities were assaulted by the flashing colours, gleaming steel, and deafening V-8 roar of the Capitola Hot Rod Show. These were muscle cars in their element, under a California sun, each the offspring of countless hours of hard work, ...
Hybrid Karma
In order to travel for a meeting in Capitola (near Santa Cruz) I was forced to rent a car. For the first hour and a half, I was ensnared in a ‘we’ll pick you up’ runaround fiasco (before you loose the legal pit-bulls, Enterprise Rent-A-car, let me sure you it ...
Sustainable Monterey by Bike
As my sustainable road trip continues, I find myself with a day to ride around Monterey. This town has some visible signs of sustainability, with low-mow lawns and a bike trail that runs along the coast. This contrasts the 4-lane feeder highways that cris-cross through town cruelly undermining the Cannery ...
The Good, The Swag, and The Ugly.
The Sustainable Brands 2008 show was, like the industry it represents, sometimes a contradiction. Here, in no particular order, are my Top-10 observations on both ends of the green scale: 1. Coffee with all the right adjectives. It was nice to see a departure from the ubiquitous generic hotel swill. ...
The New Urban Miners: Best Buy makes product take-back program pay off.
John Shegerian, Co-founder, Chairman & CEO, Electronic Recyclers International Tatyana Kjellberg, Manager of Strategic Programs, Product Take-back, Hewlett-Packard Brenda Mathison, Director of Environmental Affairs, Best Buy This presentation took place against the backdrop of a June 2, 2008 press release from Best Buy, announcing an electronics take-back test program being ...
Design for the other 90%
Paul Polak, Founder, D-REV In 2005, The luxury goods market was worth $455 billion. $7 billion was spent on haircare products alone. Corporations spent $140 Billion on advertising in the US alone. Yet, median household net worth rose only 2% in 2 years. Ours is the very pinnacle of expenditure ...